The Other Side of the Mirror
by Gabrielknight
Summary: Before Ansem was possessed by Darkness, he was ruler of his land. When a visit acquaints him with a local soldier, his life changes forever. R&R Rating may increase. Updated 3-20-05
1. 1

**_Kingdom Hearts_**

_The Other Side of the Mirror_

Note: A few of the characters and places that appear in this fanfiction, including one of the main characters, are original to me. This will be a novel-length series I hope will explain Ansem's behavior using information known now about the game.

Second Note: Indietro is Italian for backwards. I'll let you figure out the significance for yourself, because it will be implied, not fully explained.

Third Note: Violence, strong language, implied sexual fiascos. If you don't like that, please leave now. I will not pay for your therapy bills.

Pairings: Ansem/OC implied Axel/Larxene

Disclaimer: Most characters do not belong to me, they belong to Disney/Square-Enix. I make no profit from using them, I only create entertainment.

Summary: Before Ansem was possessed by Darkness, he was ruler of his land. When a visit acquaints him with a local soldier, his life changes forever.

Chapter One

Lynette had heard the news that the ruler had come all the way from Hollow Bastion in hopes of reaching out to the people of this world. It was strange to imagine that this quiet town of Narchoid was becoming something of a political war zone. She would be happy when this all was over. It wasn't that she was ungrateful, after all, she was a soldier serving the ruler of Hollow Bastion. It was just…So _strange_ that he would come all the way here.

It was probably some old geezer, some fucking shit that wouldn't be worth the time she would be spending representing herself and her town.

She supposed that this visit was because rumors of a strange group of people in dark clothes who refused to show their faces was widespread around the community. The ruler needed to show people he was still in control. Rather ironic considering all most people knew about him was his name

Lynette covered the tattoo that was on her breast, an "X" going through a rounded black and red heart. She didn't want to appear indecent in front of such and important person.

"So, Lyn, what do you think about all of this? Quite a surprise for our quiet little town, huh?"

Lynette turned around to see Cerden standing behind her, a bandana covering most of his face, barely showing his eyes. She never understood how he could wear that; he must have had trouble seeing through the haze of fabric. "Let's just go inside, I want to see him before he leaves."

"Righto," said Cerden.

-

Upon entering town hall, the first thing Lynette noticed was that the place was incredibly crowded. At front was the mayor and… that must be the ruler from Hollow Bastion. He was incredibly handsome, his skin was lightly tanned and his eyes were nearly orange. His hair swooped back into three strange points, and was so white it was blue in color. He couldn't have been more than twenty.

"What an odd one, he is. Look at his eyes, they ain't a natural color," said Cerden.

"Shut up, I think that's our leader," said Lynette. Those eyes were following her, and it was a little unnerving. Why her, of all the people here?

"Cerden, Lynette, there you are. You two are up front with the others," said the captain, waving for them to follow.

It was hard to move through the crowd, but somehow they made it to the front of the room where the mayor stood next to the leader from Hollow Bastion. Those eyes weren't looking at her now, which made Lynette guess that maybe he had never been looking at her, that it was just some silly romantic thought of hers.

The mayor looked around briefly before she smiled at the crowed. "We are pleased today to announce a special visitor," she said as the crowd fell silent. "With us today, and for a whole month is our leader from the capitol Hollow Bastion, Lord Ansem Indietro," she smiled warmly at Ansem, and the crowd roared with appreciation. Lynette stood transfixed, keeping her eyes on the crowd and not on Ansem. She wasn't even concentrating on the mayors speech, and then certainly not Lord Ansem's. It didn't occur to her that the meeting was over, and not even Cerden could get her attention, so he had left.

"Why are you ignoring me?" a voice said in her ear. Lynette nearly leapt out of her skin. She tripped backwards into someone's arms. It was only then that she noticed she was alone with none other than Lord Ansem. "You were watching me before, but the minute you stopped looking, it was as if your knowledge of time was gone."

She had no idea what to say to this, so Lynette chose to say nothing.

Ansem studied her curiously. "Ah, well, I suppose this was a bit… sudden," he scribbled down some words on a paper, "if you wish to find me, I'll be here tonight," he said, and throwing caution to the winds, kissed her on the cheek before walking off with a slight skip in his gait.

Lynette stared at the man in shock. She had been KISSED by a man she didn't even know. To make things worse, it had been Lord Ansem. Why would he be interested in her? Of all she had read about story-book kings, they showed no interested in commoners, least of all soldiers who spent their entire lives caked in the blood of their enemies. So why on earth would he show interest in her?

Unless, of course, those stories were all horseshit.

-

"Gee, Lyn, you look awful. What happened to you earlier? You just spaced out, I mean, I was shouting loud enough to budge the dead, but you wouldn't answer." It was several hours later, and she and her fellow soldiers were sitting at the dinner tables, eating what had to be the best meal any of them had had since joining the military. Lynette wouldn't touch the meal though. It was because of the note Ansem had handed her. It had been the address for a fancy restaurant, one that she had never entered before. "You really should eat something," Cerden finished.

"I've told you, I'm not hungry," said Lynette, slightly hasty. Fuck this! She wanted to stand up right now and leave. He'd be there at nine, and it was nearly eight thirty now.

"You've looked edgy all night. What's up?" said Cerden, biting into a slice of chicken.

"Nothing," said Lynette. "Nothing… not that you'd believe me, anyway…" she said distantly. It was still plaguing her mind. Why had Ansem invited her to dinner, so shyly, it was like some high school romance? This was going to drive her insane!

"Not believe you?" said Cerden slowly, holding the fork to his mouth, but making no move to eat the piece of barbequed chicken. "You weren't attacked or nothing, were you?" he asked seriously.

"No, no. Nothing like that." She didn't feel quite like telling Cerden that she had been invited to dinner with _Lord Ansem_. It didn't seem wise to her. She was still under the impression that this might be someone's brilliant joke. "I've got to go… see you," she said quickly, and left the room, not even letting herself hear Cerden's calls after her.

-

It was a moment before Lynette was able to gather her strength. She felt like fainting. Was she completely insane! She was actually going to go through with this offer of Lord Ansem's. When she entered the restaurant, a pretty young woman smiled at her and said, "Oh, yes, you're the guest Lord Ansem was saying would be coming. Follow me, then," and she lead Lynette to a table in a corner of the restaurant, set for two.

It was Ansem's turn to not meet her eyes. His face had gone red when he saw her coming, and he said quietly, "I didn't think you'd come. Not that I… I mean… thanks," he said, finally looking at her.

"I honestly don't know why the fuck I'm here," said Lynette abruptly. Ansem chuckled at this. "Why me? You should go for one of the pretty girls or something."

"But you _are_ pretty," said Ansem, blushing again.

Lynette was about to say something sarcastic to that, but stopped quickly. "You think I'm pretty?" she said, surprised, and at the same time, rather flattered.

Ansem nodded. "Yet… I still don't know your name," he said feebly.

"Lynette Walker. My friend calls me Lyn, though," she said with a slight smile, as nervous as Ansem. "I know you of course, you're Lord Ansem."

"Just Ansem… I don't care for the whole 'Lord' title. Pretty obvious I don't get out much, right?" he said quietly. He laughed slightly with a sheepish smile.

"Doesn't matter, really," said Lynette. Taking a bold step forward, she said, "I thought you were handsome when I first saw you." They both turned red at this, and it took a moment for them to regain their composures.

"What would you care to have? I'll pay for anything."

Lynette looked at the menu for a moment before she said, "I don't want to waste your money… really… I can pay for my own meal." Ansem gave her an almost pleading look before she said, "Alright how about the… lobster?"

"Great!" said Ansem cheerfully, "let's share it, then?" his face was still rather red. Apparently Lynette wasn't the only one to be nearly too shy to ask someone for a date. But she had been more out of contempt for those more lucky than her, than shyness.

When the waitress came around for their order, both of them had already warmed up to each other. _This date thing isn't that bad_, Lynette thought.

-

"I'm going to be here for a few weeks, and I'm wondering, would you like to meet somewhere again tomorrow?" said Ansem, almost hopefully.

Lynette smiled, feeling a surge in her stomach that she was positive had nothing to do with the flu. "That sounds fantastic. How about Bently's Park on the south side of town? It had a large apple orchard, very hard to miss."

Ansem turned scarlet at this. "Sounds wonderful," he said, covering his face. He quickly leaned close to Lynette and kissed her lightly on the cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow at Bently's, then. Is three alright?"

"Sounds fine to me," said Lynette, cautiously kissing Ansem back.

Lynette walked home feeling much better than she had that morning.

tbc.


	2. 2

**_Kingdom Hearts_**

_The Other Side of the Mirror_

Note: A few of the characters and places that appear in this fanfiction, including one of the main characters, are original to me. This will be a novel-length series I hope will explain Ansem's behavior using information known now about the game. When Chain of Memories comes out, things may have to take a different direction, although I doubt this.

Second Note: Indietro is Italian for backwards. I'll let you figure out the significance for yourself, because it will be implied, not fully explained.

Third Note: Violence, strong language, implied sexual fiascos. If you don't like that, please leave now. I will not pay for your therapy bills.

Fourth Note: Don't get turned off by the romance genre… it'll uh… get progressively different. Not much kissy-kissy stuff in this… I don't do kissy-kissy…

Pairings: Ansem/OC implied Axel/Larxene

Disclaimer: Most characters do not belong to me, they belong to Disney/Square-Enix. I make no profit from using them, I only create entertainment.

Summary: Before Ansem was possessed by Darkness, he was ruler of his land. When a visit acquaints him with a local soldier, his life changes forever.

Chapter Two

"You look like a crackhead," said Cerden, half joking, the next day.

"Shut up, Cerden. I just had the best day of my life last night," said Lynette, turning red. She thought of the dinner with Ansem with a girlish blush that disgusted her so much she accidentally cut her sausage in half. She was too embarrassed to talk. Even so, she wanted to see Ansem again. She couldn't explain it. Even though she hardly knew him, had meet him once, it felt like more than some sort of blind date. Maybe fate had brought the two of them together, although she didn't believe such nonsense. Was it supposed to feel so right? Lynette felt lighthearted whenever she thought of him.

Oh, but it didn't feel _wrong_ or anything like that. It felt perfectly natural, that was what bothered her.

"You feeling alright, Lyn? You're acting all… girly. It ain't like you." Cerden still kept his grin, although it was fading slightly.

"I'm serious, Cerden. Yesterday was wonderful. Quit playing around."

Cerden raised an eyebrow. He didn't seem to know what to say, but he eventually did speak. "Oh, I suppose you got a boyfriend or something?" he said, grinning. His grin faded quickly when Lynette turned bright red, and started shoveling egg in her mouth to cover the blush. "You really do? Who is it?"

"Shut. Up," said Lynette quickly. They were in the breakfast hall, a large rectangular room in the left wing of the barracks. Despite being awfully cramped with other soldiers, it was made too cramped by Cerden's questioning. "You wouldn't believe me, anyway," she added quickly covering her blush.

"Try me."

Lynette shook her head, wondering what she should do to not make things look so suspicious. In the long run, it probably made things worse. "I don't want to talk about it," said Lynette, shaking her head roughly. Why did it bother her so much? Some part of her was saying it was too real to be a prank, and it had definitely been Lord Ansem who had kissed her so shyly on the cheek. She was probably drawing too much attention to herself, all she could think of was him, like some high school cheerleader. She was a soldier, not some vacuous dancer.

She laughed slightly at the thought. A dancer, now that is something she could really become. She had been considered butch since she was fourteen. Imagine all their faces when the so-called lesbian was seen in public with _Lord Ansem. _That would show them all.

Her grin must have revealed something because Cerden's next words startled her.

"What? It ain't Lord Ansem, or anything, right?" Cerden grinned jokingly, not noticing right away that Lynette had turned scarlet again.

"I-I've got to go," she said quickly leaving the table.

-

When she arrived at Bently's Park, much to early for Lord Ansem to be there, it was nearly deserted. Some children were playing on the merry-go-round, and on the miniature playground near it. She sat on her favorite horse, a little disdainful. Of course he wasn't going to be here, it was one in the afternoon. He was the Lord of the kingdom, he had places to go and people to visit.

"Wassa matta?" a small voice asked her. Lynette looked down to see a little girl in cute blonde pigtails looking up at her with rounded eyes. "The mewy-go-wownd isn't bwoken, is it?" she asked.

_Those eyes are adorable_. As soon as she thought that, Lynette nearly jumped away in shock. Never had she thought something so strange about a child. _Damnit, if this is all because of Ansem I'm never going to see him again._ "No, no," said Lynette softly, masking her self-disgust. "Of course not. I'm just sitting here. Which animal do you want to ride on?"

"The unicown." Lynette giggled helping the girl onto the unicorn. She placed the coins in the slot, letting the soft tune start the wheel in motion.

"Man, you're acting really weird. When were you a fan of children? I thought you hated anyone under the age of eighteen."

Lynette nearly jumped out of her skin. "Don't sneak up on me like that!" she shouted, turning to face Cerden. He was right, of course. That bothered her. She _was_ acting incredibly strange.

"You really are with him, aren't you?" said Cerden.

"With who?" said Lynette, distracted, still watching the girl. She looked so happy… the innocence that girl displayed, it was incredible. And wonderful. Perhaps she was rambling internally to keep herself from thinking dangerous thoughts. Thoughts of a life with Lord Ansem? Impossible. He was the ruler of this world, some common soldier couldn't possibly become his lover. It was laughable.

"With Lord Ansem."

"What makes you think that?" said Lynette quickly.

"Nothing, except for the fact you fled when I said his name," said Cerden, waving a dismissive hand. "So he's the one who asked you out last night, then?" He wasn't antagonizing in his speech, he was relaxed, almost as if he had expected the whole affair. Maybe she was being incredibly obvious; staring off into space when she had first seen Lord Ansem, racing off to dinner with him, and then turning red every time his name was mentioned.

Lynette turned bright red. "I just had dinner with him. I wouldn't go so far as to call him my boyfriend. Don't be silly," she said, dismissing his comment while pushing her hair back in a ponytail. "Do you want to go once more?"

"No, I gotsta get home to mommy and daddy. It's almost lunch time!" the girl said. _Lunch time. I promise Lord Ansem I'd meet him here at three._ Why did she enjoy being around children all of a sudden? It was bizarre.

"Well, whatever, Lyn. Have fun with your new boyfriend. I'm gonna hang out with the guys if all you're going to do is think about your lover."

-

Lynette sat up against the tree she had told Ansem to meet her at. It would be a while before he came, it was half past two. But when someone sat next to her, she looked over next to them. "Ansem? You're a bit early, aren't you?"

"You are, too," he countered, kissing her on the cheek as shyly as before. "You know," he said very softly, soft enough Lynette wasn't sure she heard him right, "Even though we've just met, I like you. Let's be friends."

Lynette turned red, but didn't edge away. It was incredibly creepy, if it had been anyone else, she probably would have smacked him, but she couldn't. Was it his bizarre innocence? God, if it was…

"_I'm an idiot," _she thought.

"Right. Just don't… ask me out for a while." Ansem's eyes looked a little disappointed so she added, "On a date. Dinner's fine." She leaned over on his shoulder and smiled at him. "So I lied, I like you, too."

"Are we just going to sit here? It's nice here," Ansem said a little nervously.

"Relax. I'm not big on romance so we could just sit. I don't really care."

"Yeah," said Ansem slowly. He stared at the sky for a moment before saying, "You know, when I was a child my mother would say strange things about the stars. Don't bother mentioning it's still light out, I know."

"What would she say?"

"She would tell me that each star is a world, apart from our own. A world with it's own people and rules, a world with different customs… but she would also tell me that each world was also connected by a Heart." His eyes had gone misty, as if the memory brought back sadness. "The Great Heart… that's what she called it."

"Sounds like a faerie tale."

"It does, doesn't it?" He looked at her seriously, an expression she had not seen before. "Do you know why I'm here now?"

"Some sort of affirmation of you being the ruler?" said Lynette, half jokingly.

"No, there are people who had suddenly appeared. People who… don't belong in this world. We don't know their purpose, so we've been scouting around. We've tracked them to around this area. You haven't seen them have you."

"_Ah, fuck. Ulterior motive revealed at last_," Lynette thought darkly. For some reason, she had been half expecting this to be genuine, but for course it wasn't. "No, sorry. We haven't been told anything. What do they look like?" She said, trying and failing to mask her disappointment.

"Don't get mad, I'm just asking you," said Ansem. "They… they dress in black. That's pretty much the only thing we know about them."

Lynette rested her head on his shoulder. "Nothing bad is going to happen," she said, as if to reassure herself. "Nothing bad is going to happen."

tbc.


	3. Demons of the Interlude

**_Kingdom Hearts_**

_The Other Side of the Mirror_

Note: A few of the characters and places that appear in this fanfiction, including one of the main characters, are original to me. This will be a novel-length series I hope will explain Ansem's behavior using information known now about the game. When Chain of Memories comes out, things may have to take a different direction, although I doubt this.

Second Note: Indietro is Italian for backwards. I'll let you figure out the significance for yourself, because it will be implied, not fully explained.

Third Note: Violence, strong language, implied sexual fiascos. If you don't like that, please leave now. I will not pay for your therapy bills.

Fourth Note: Don't get turned off by the romance genre… it'll uh… get progressively different. Not much kissy-kissy stuff in this… I don't do kissy-kissy…

Fifth Note: Once in a while, I shall bring to you the _Demons of the Interlude,_ a side-story, told nearly entirely with dialogue about none else but "the other side."

Pairings: Ansem/OC implied Axel/Larxene

Disclaimer: Most characters do not belong to me, they belong to Disney/Square-Enix. I make no profit from using them, I only create entertainment.

Summary: Before Ansem was possessed by Darkness, he was ruler of his land. When a visit acquaints him with a local soldier, his life changes forever.

Demons of the Interlude

If anything could be seen in this… _darkness_ one would see two very different figures. A man and a woman were standing in the center of a great room, and yet they were nowhere at all.

"How goes the plan? That bastard isn't getting in the way, is he?" the woman said, her voice crisp, nearly playful with deadly innocence mixed together. Even in the darkness, her voice demanded attention, she was a danger, and that was something threatening indeed.

"You mean our dear leader? He won't be up to much for long. Nothingness can have it's advantages. Such as immortality to a certain extent." In contrast, his voice was quiet harsh. Sarcastic, and arrogant. "The 'nothing' can be considered his bed for quite some time."

"So you've killed him."

"Don't be ridiculous," the man said. "Death is not something we can understand, not being truly alive."

"I seem to have forgotten," was the reply, nearly robotic sarcasm issued from her voice.

"Indeed. Just make sure no one else finds out."

"What about the others? If they find out."

"Simple. They shall meet the same fate as our dear leader."

The laughter that echoed from the pair must have scared the dead. Even the darkness seemed to shrink back in fear.

tbc.


	4. 3

_**Kingdom Hearts**_

_The Other Side of the Mirror_

Note: A few of the characters and places that appear in this fanfiction, including one of the main characters, are original to me. This will be a novel-length series I hope will explain Ansem's behavior using information known now about the game.

Second Note: Indietro is Italian for backwards. I'll let you figure out the significance for yourself, because it will be implied, not fully explained.

Third Note: Violence, strong language, implied sexual fiascos. If you don't like that, please leave now. I will not pay for your therapy bills.

Fourth Note: Don't get turned off by the romance genre… it'll uh… get progressively different. Not much kissy-kissy stuff in this… I don't do kissy-kissy…

Fifth Note: The poem mentioned in this chapter is my own creation.

Pairings: Ansem/OC implied Axel/Larxene

Disclaimer: Most characters do not belong to me, they belong to Disney/Square-Enix. I make no profit from using them, I only create entertainment.

Summary: Before Ansem was possessed by Darkness, he was ruler of his land. When a visit acquaints him with a local soldier, his life changes forever.

Chapter Three

Lynette woke quite suddenly, and realized with a laugh that she had fallen asleep on Ansem's shoulders. It was nightfall now, how long had she been asleep? Ansem was looking at the stars, his mind seemed to be elsewhere. Lynette looked up at the stars as well, and smiled, she was always so happy with Ansem. Her smiled vanished, however, when a glimmering star vanished quite suddenly from the sky.

"What the…?" she said quietly. Ansem turned to look at her, white as ash. "What the hell happened?" Lynette grabbed at Ansem's shoulders in fear. She wasn't sure that she had seen that right.

"I don't know," Ansem said quickly. "I've never seen such a thing before." His amber eyes were narrowed in thought.

"You said that the stars are other worlds," Lynette said quietly. "If they are other worlds doesn't that mean… the world has been destroyed?"

Ansem forced a laugh. "Don't be ridiculous." He stood up swiftly and looked back at her. "Do you want to come back with me?"

"I'll sleep on the couch," Lynette said, trying to regain her soldier's dignity. She was beginning to detest being female again. Why had she ever enjoyed the dinner they had had last night? This was bullshit!

Ansem eyed her cautiously. "You were so happy to be near me and now all of a sudden you can't stand me? Don't you find that odd at all?"

"Sorry."

"Don't apologize, just think about it. My suite has two beds, it was the largest one I could afford," he looked a little embarrassed. "I didn't bring a lot of money, it's not like I carry it around in a giant sack or something. It has a kitchen which is why I chose it, a place to sit and talk." He eyed her with a blush in his face.

"Fine," Lynette said in honest cheer. "Let's go, then."

Ansem risked a moment to kiss her on the cheek. "Let's go, then," he said.

-

The suite wasn't as large as Lynette had imagined, it had all the necessary things, a separate bathroom, two twin sized beds, and a small kitchen and table at the left side of the entrance. Lounging in the kitchen, she felt like an intruder. But with Ansem continually smiling at her from behind a mug of coffee, she didn't feel so awkward. "God, I feel like a schoolgirl. Stop staring at me like that," said Lynette, turning furious red.

Ansem chuckled. "Surely it's not that bad, Lyn," he walked over to her, putting his hands on her jaw. "Do you mind if I try something new on you?" he asked, not without the innocence he usually displayed. Lynette responded with closing her eyes. He kissed her softly on the lips, and she wrapped her arms around the back of his head. It felt so… right, kissing him. Was she…?

"Ansem… I think I'm…." she murmured, but trailed off. She couldn't bring herself to continuing, all she wanted was to be with him. She pulled away from the kisses, and looked at him with a smile. "Ansem, I…"

"Shh," Ansem smiled and kissed her on the cheek this time. He rested his head on her shoulder and hugged her around the middle. "Sometimes it's best not to talk, so much more can be said with only actions.

"Ansem…" Lynette got up to sit on the side of one of the beds. "Have you ever heard of that poem, _What Lies on the Other Side of the Mirror?_ It's quite a strange one. I think it has something to do with the other worlds you've told me about… my great gran' pa told me about the poem, and I've known it ever since," she continued. Ansem sat down next to her, interest in his eyes.

"How does it go?"

Lynette turned red. "I… don't really like reading things aloud…. But… it goes like,"

_In the sky are lives, the lives of so many more_

_More roads that can be followed, more trails to run_

_An through the whispering trees, you can see yourself_

_So tell me, child, what can you see_

_On the other side of the mirror?_

She turned even redder, and Ansem chuckled slightly. "I told you that I wasn't that good at doing fancy readings."

Ansem smiled. "No, you're fine. Really," he said with a smile. He put a hand around her shoulders, and she slowly backed up onto the bed behind her, falling onto her back. "Lyn," he murmured, kissing her on the lips again. Their eyes met, and Lynette felt something trickle down the sides of her cheek. "You're crying," he said. "You're sad…" he half-sobbed, head resting on her chest.

"No," said Lynette. "I'm happy."

tbc.


End file.
